Ash Grove’s Whorton charged with child molestation, endangerment

An Ash Grove man is accused of molesting a female relative on multiple occasions from the time she was eight until she was 16. Karl Allan Whorton, 44, is charged in Randolph County with two counts of child molestation and one count of child endangerment. Some of the crimes allegedly took place between 2002 through 2010.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, the victim reported the crimes to police in Moberly, on Dec. 10, 2019. She told an investigator the abuse began when she was eight, during the summer between her third- and fourth-grade years in school. She said Whorton would make her lie in bed with him and touch her sexually while they were both unclothed.
The victim also described multiple occasions in Whorton’s semi-truck, in which she traveled with him during the summers. She said that while they were on the road, he would make her perform sexual acts on him, and he would also touch her inappropriately. Several other instances were described in detail in the statement.
The victim said she tried to report Whorton at the time but didn’t have enough evidence.
The victim also told the investigator that Whorton had reached out to her via Facebook and asked to speak with her prior to her coming to the police. During a Facebook conversation between Whorton and the victim, Whorton told her he was attending church and getting his life straightened out, and “part of that is asking for forgiveness from those I’ve wronged.”  
During the conversation, the victim detailed some of the abuses she said Whorton put her through, and also said she still had nightmares from it. She also asked Whorton why he abused her.
“You did those things to me,” she said. “I just want to know why. I feel like I deserve that, at least.”
In the last part of the conversation shown on the probable cause statement, Whorton wrote, “I don’t know why things happened. I was living in a dark place and my moral compass was gone. I have since found God, and I am trying to atone. I hope you find it in yourself to forgive me so that you might have peace. But as for me, I will always live with the guilt. I’ve been praying for you and will continue praying. Again, I’m sorry.”
The victim said she also spoke with her mother, and her mother urged her to prosecute Whorton. In a text message to the victim, the mother said, “I’m sorry for not believing you, I can tell you that. Truthfully, I didn’t believe you yesterday, but (he) returned my call and told me it was your fault. You were the child; he was the adult. To ‘confess’ but still blame the child is (expletive) (expletive). If there are repercussions for me, so be it, but he needs to answer for what was done.”
Whorton was taken into custody by Ash Grove police on Tuesday, May 12 and booked into the Greene County Jail, to be held for another county. The probable cause statement showed he has a prior conviction in California in 1997 for Willful Cruelty to a Child. According to online records, Whorton is being held in lieu of a $35,000 bond.